Black Roses Red
by Remnant of Life
Summary: While on a mission, Allen finds a small boy that reminds him a little too much of himself as a child. So what else is he to besides offer the boy the home he had found with his own father?


**AN: Hey it's me again! And I have more Laven fluffiness for you all ^_^ I won't bore you all with ramblings now, so on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man does not belong to me. If it did, Laven WOULD be canon**

There was a loud explosion as the last Akuma was destroyed, the chain connecting the soul to the machine shattering and releasing the soul of a young woman. Allen watched with a small smile as the woman vanished as he flexed his left hand, his left eye scanning for any more Akuma that were lurking around. Finding none, he breathed a sigh of relief as he deactivated his eye, starting a second later as a small sound reached his ears.

He walked across the clearing, looking behind the few rocks and such that ringed the area until he found the source, his eyes filling with worry. A small boy no older than eight was sitting on the ground behind a rock, his head buried in his knees and his arms wrapped around his legs, the occasional muffled sob escaping him. Allen knelt down in front of him slowly, not wanting to startle the boy. "Are you all right?"

_Can I ask you a question, please?  
><em>_Promise you won't laugh at me.  
><em>_Honestly, I'm standing here  
><em>_Afraid I'll be betrayed._

The boy looked up quickly, a single emerald eye locking with Allen's silvery grey ones, the right one obscured by a black eyepatch that looked like a medical bandage. Crimson locks fell haphazardly around his thin pale face, dirt smudged across his face and tear tracks running down his cheeks. His visible eye was filed with wild emotions; fear, distrust, loneliness, and a whole mix of other emotions that Allen couldn't name. He didn't answer the question, just stared at Allen blankly.

"Hey, it's okay," Allen said quietly, reaching out his right hand to the boy, not surprised when he flinched away, terror in his visible eye. "I'm not gonna hurt you. What are you doing here?"

_As twisted as it seems  
><em>_I only fear love when it's in my dreams  
><em>_So let in the morning light  
><em>_And let the darkness fade away_

Again, he was met with silence as he looked into that piercing green eye that almost seemed to look straight through him, emotions carefully hidden on the surface but showing through in the back of his eyes. "Okay then," Allen sighed, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand so as not to slice the back of his head open with his clawed left hand. "Where are your parents?"

The boy looked at him in confusion and this time he answered in a soft voice, "Don't have any."

Allen frowned slightly. So this kid was alone like him. He took a closer look at the young boy sitting in front of him, and saw a reflection of himself from before Mana had adopted him in the kid. "What's your name?"

_Can you turn my black roses red?  
><em>_Can you turn my black roses red?_

"Don't have one," the boy answered bitterly, looking down at his worn, knee-high black boots moodily. "No need for one the way I live," he added in an undertone, obviously hoping that Allen wouldn't hear him.

"The way you live?" Allen repeated, and the boy flushed and buried his face in his knees again. "Well, you should have a name," Allen said as he sat down on the ground in front of the boy, deactivating his Crowned Clown so that his left arm turned back into a normalish arm instead of the black clawed weapon and the white cape and silver mask vanished. He thought for a while, trying to come up with a name for the young boy in front of him, who had now lifted his head to look at him curiously. In the end, one name kept coming back to the front of his mind, which meant lion in Hebrew and Allen felt embodied the fire of determination and resolve to keep living he could see burning in the back of the young boy's eye. "What about Lavi?" Allen offered, folding his legs Indian-style with his elbows resting on his knees and his chin cradled in his hands.

_Drowning in my loneliness  
><em>_How long must I hold my breath?  
><em>_So much emptiness inside  
><em>_I could fill the deepest sea_

The red haired boy considered that for a moment, his expression turning thoughtful. "Lavi…" he repeated quietly. He looked up at Allen and smiled a dazzling smile that warmed the white haired exorcist's heart and made him smile as well. "I like it."

"Glad to hear," Allen said, smiling kindly. "Say, Lavi. Do you have anywhere to go?"

Lavi's smile faded, much to Allen's disappointment, and he drew his legs closer to his chest, his chin resting on his knees. "No," he said quietly, not meeting Allen's eyes. "I just wander. Always have, ever since I can remember."

"I have an idea then," Allen said, pushing himself to his feet and offering a hand to the younger boy, who stayed sitting on the floor, looking up at him in confusion. "Why don't you come with me? I don't mind."

Lavi's eye widened in surprise as he looked from Allen's extended hand to his face, seemingly torn. "I… I don't know," he answered, looking away. "I'm fine with staying here, really. I don't want to bother you…"

_I reach to the sky as the moon looks on  
><em>_My one last year has come and gone  
><em>_Time to let your love rain down on me_

"You won't bother me, honest," Allen assured him, not withdrawing his hand just yet. "I'd feel a lot better knowing you had a place to stay and a good meal in you at least for tonight rather then you having to steal and sleep on the streets."

_Can you turn my black roses red?  
><em>_Can you turn my black roses red?  
><em>_Can you turn my black roses red?_

At the mention of a place to stay and a meal, Lavi pulled his legs tighter to his chest, trying to muffle the empty rumble his stomach let off at that moment. Looking up sheepishly, he reached out slowly, as if waiting for Allen to pull his hand back, but he didn't. He slid in small hand into Allen larger, warm one and let the older boy pull him to his feet, wobbling unsteadily on his legs after having been curled up in a ball for so long. Allen helped steady him on his feet on instinct. "Thanks," Lavi mumbled, not looking at Allen but tightening his grip on Allen's hand slightly.

"You're welcome," Allen smiled. "Come on, let's get you someplace a bit safer."

Lavi nodded slightly and let Allen lead him away from the remains of the town, not letting go of the older exorcist's hand.

_Cause I feel like I've never known love  
><em>_I feel like I've never known love  
><em>_I feel like I've never known love  
><em>_Can you turn my black roses red?_

**So this was my first attempt at a song fic. I'm setting this as a one-shot for now, but I will continue it if that's what you guys want. Comments of any type are very much appreciated! 3**

**Song used is called Black Roses Red by Alana Grace if anyone wants to look it up. I highly recomend it, it's an amazing song.**


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